CORRIGE d'Anglais
France Métropolitaine - Section S - Juin 2001

I. COMPRÉHENSION

Who are the main characters? What are they doing? Where and
when does the scene take place? (40 words)

The main characters are a mother and her
daughter.

The mother is lighting a fire while her
daughter, Britt, is sipping her tea.

The scene takes place in the morning.

What can you say about the girl's results at school and
university?

The girl is a brilliant student as she
succeeding in entering Oxford University where
she obtained her degree

l. 14 - l. 37.

a) Mention four rituals of a
typical Graduation Day at Oxford.

- Students are dressed in gown and
mortar board or cap

-
Students
collect their degree from the Vice-Chancellor

-
Students
are trooped into the rococo splendour of the
Sheldonian Theatre

-
Students
submit themselves to the taking of the
graduation photo

b) To what extent was Britt's Graduation Day
different from her friends'? Explain why.

Differences

Why? (Quote
the text)

- her parents didn’t come

- “she had been too embarrassed
to invite them.” (l 34 35)

- she had no photo of her
graduation day

-“telling them she would be on holiday for
Degree Day and would collect hers by
post.” (l 29)

- it was not a happy day for her

- “and her day had been ruined”
(l 33)

c) How long ago did it take place?

It took place twelve years ago

Today how does she feel when she
remembers that day? Quote elements from the text
in your answer. (30 words)

She obviously feels ashamed today
( “sprang up
bringing with it a sick feeling of shame” l 16 )
and she now realizes that she deprived her parents
of the celebration and the ritual photo that should
be present with pride in the family mantelpiece. ( “as
she looked at the empty mantelpiece this morning (…)
she felt so ashamed that she had to look away” l
36)

(I.
13) "… She had now almost nothing in common
with them."

Fill in the grid with elements from the text
to illustrate this quotation.

The parents

The
daughter

1 - marital status

They are married

She is single /
unmarried

2 - clothes

her father in an
ill‑fitting suit

her mother wearing Crimplene

“groomed and
sophisticated”

3 - ideals in life

pulling together in a knit community

believed
passionately in the individual

As far as human values are concerned, what
does the main character become aware of at the
end of the text? (40 words)

The main character, Britt, becomes aware of
her individualism and selfishness; In opposition to
her, her parents felt secure in their daily rituals
and had a strong sense of community. But now that
she is pregnant she is regretful and realizes, by
herself, that she was wrong.

II. COMPETANCE LINGUISTIQUE

1. Say who or what the
underlined words refer to:

a) I. 4 "photographs of her” : “her” refers to the mother

b) l.8 "hers was a classic story” : “hers”
refers to Britt’s

c) l.18 "with their sons or daughters" parents’

d) l.28 "collect hers by post" : her degree

e) l.32 "with her parents" :the parents of the only other student from Rothwell
Grammar

f) l.33 "that her parents
might ...": Britt's parents

2. Put the verbs
in the appropriate forms and tenses.

a) If her parentsHAD COME to the
ceremony when she was a student,

she WOULD HAVE FELTashamed of them.

b) She HAD CHANGED since she HAD GONE to Oxford.

c) She was afraid her friend WOULD TELL her parents the truth.

d) They were proud that she HAD OBTAINEDher degree.

e) She wishes she HAD BEHAVED differently with her parents when she

was younger.

f) If she told them the truth now, she WOULD BE
relieved.

3. Rephrase the following sentences using the prompts given.

a) She regrets not having asked her parents to come.

She thinks she should have asked her parents to come.

b) She felt so ashamed that she had to look away.

Feeling ashamed, she couldn't help
looking away.

c) For the first time in her life she realized she was wrong.

It was the first timeshe had realized she was wrong.

d) The parents certainly felt very disappointed.

They mustshe had realized she was wrong.

e) She thought her parents were too conventional.

She blamedher parents for being too
conventional.

4. Use the following linkwords in the sentences, rephrasing them when
necessary. Each word must be used once only

thanks
to ‑ unlike ‑ so … that ‑ in order to – although

a)Life was very difficult for the parents. The mother had become faded and
anxious.

Life was so
difficult for the parents that the mother had
become faded and anxious.

b) Her parents would have loved to go. They were not invited to the
ceremony.

Although her parents would have loved to go, they were
not invited to the ceremony.

c)They had sacrificed themselves. They wanted to help their daughter to
get a good education.

They had sacrificed
themselves in order to help their daughter to
get a good education.

d) She had been successful at school. Her parents' encouragements had
helped her.

She had been successful at school
thanks to her parents’ encouragements

e) Her fellow students had asked
their parents to come. She hadn't.

Unlike her, her fellow students had
asked their parents to come.

5. Translate

I. 12 ‑ "with each new achievement, she had moved further and further
away from them"

"A Chaque nouvelle réussite elle
s’était éloignée un peu plus d'eux".

I. 35 ‑ "If they did hear, nothing was ever said. " ,

"Même s'ils l'apprirent un jour,
ils n'en dirent jamais rien".

III. EXPRESSION

Choose one
of the following subjects. (250 words)

1. A few days Britt' s belief that " later, Britt confesses her lie to her mother. Write
their conversation.

2. Do you
agree with You could have anything you wanted if
only you tried hard enough" ? Justify your answer,
giving examples.